Print Week articles from March 2009

Print Week archives from March 2009

Sector cautiously optimistic on postal part-privatisation Bill.
March 6, 2009... Plans to sell off around 30% of the Royal Mail have been greeted with 'guarded optimism' by the print industry after business secretary Lord Mandelson described the Bill as the only credible way to save the postal operator. In the plans...

Unite chief faces vote to extend leadership.(Derek Simpson joins as general secretary)(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... Derek Simpson, joint general secretary of Unite, will find out next week if he will remain in his position for another year. The union leader is facing a vote to extend his tenure following a challenge from a rival who claimed that his...

Northprint to go ahead as IIR calls for support.(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... IIR has confirmed that next month's Northprint will go ahead and issued a clarion call to the industry to support the show, which has been running for more than 40 years. The vote of confidence in the viability of the show follows growing...

Litho Supplies ends Xerox contract.
March 6, 2009... Litho Supplies has pulled out of its Xerox digital printing partnership after its former sales director Steve Dodds set up a standalone Xerox reseller, Xpect Digital Solutions. In a statement released to the London Stock Exchange last week,...

BGP in consultation with 60 staff.(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... BGP is to decommission two presses and has begun a consultation with a view to making 60 roles redundant. A 30-day consultation period with the affected staff, which equates to 12% of the 500 staff employed at its Bicester, Oxfordshire...

Provincial Printing investment.
March 6, 2009... Provincial Printing has invested in a four-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 75 as it expands its core commercial print offering with the ability to handle carton and heavier stocks. Managing director Ian Fitzgerald said: 'We can now handle...

Tangent Direct appointed by Sp.a.(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... Tangent Direct has been appointed by Sp.a, the Flemish socialist party, to help deliver campaign collateral in the months preceding European and regional elections that are to be held this June. Andy Wheatley, director of strategy at Tangent...

Webmart announces support.
March 6, 2009... Webmart has announced its support for a Dragon's Den meets Pop Idol-style competition at Oxford University. Idea Idol, which was scheduled to take place on 5 March, aimed to identify entrepreneurial ideas and budding tycoons of tomorrow....

Advice from Pira International.(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... Pira International has advised screen printers to invest in digital printing after conducting a new study, The Future of Printing on Signage, which revealed impressive growth in the signage market. The study said: 'Smaller and less...

Printoff Graphic Arts FSC accredited.
March 6, 2009... Printoff Graphic Arts has become FSC accredited as it announced plans to install its third Roland B2 press. The Lancashire-based company said the secondhand five-colour press was acquired for an undisclosed sum and will be installed later...

ISO 9001 certification for Romax.(Romax Marketing & Distribution)(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... Romax Marketing & Distribution, the south London-based direct mailer, has been awarded ISO 9001 certification. Robin Sumner, managing director of Romax, said: 'We have always been proud of the service we offer our clients and the way we...

Communisis profits up 61% but boss calls prices 'unsustainable'.
March 6, 2009... Communisis has warned of unsustainable prices in the print management sector even though it defied the recession and posted a 61% increase in pre-tax profit and halved its debt. 'There are very hungry suppliers out there, we're trying to...

Taylor Bloxham boss leaves job.
March 6, 2009... Peter Hammond has left his role as managing director of Print People Group subsidiaries Taylor Bloxham and C&R Printing Services in mysterious circumstances. Taylor Bloxham announced Hammond's sudden departure from the business on Tuesday...

Blaze at Southern Binders in Dorset damages 30% of site's contents.(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... Southernprint's binding division, Southern Binders, has reported damage to two perfect-binding machines following a blaze at its site on the Ferndown Industrial Estate in Dorset. The fire was reported at 6.45am on Sunday (1 March) and was...

JF Print buys Haynes UK book division in deal worth pounds 400k.(Haynes Publishing Group buys JF Print)
March 6, 2009... Haynes Publishing Group, the automotive and motorcycle repair manuals publisher and printer, has completed the pounds 400,000 sale of its UK book manufacturing business to JF Print, a subsidiary of Wiltshire-based JFDI Print Services. ...

HH opens Hong Kong premises.(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... Print management company HH is to open an office in Hong Kong following a major contract win. Surrey-based HH said the office, which would open in the next two weeks, will enable it to service existing contracts as a global print provider...

Harmsworth Leicester in staff consultation.(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... Newspaper printer Harmsworth Printing has entered into a consultation with staff over the closure of its Leicester printing facility. A 30-day consultation with 66 staff at Harmsworth Printing Leicester - a subsidiary of Harmsworth...

Manroland introduces improved customer service offering for UK.
March 6, 2009... Manroland GB has unveiled a raft of enhanced customer services offerings, including a free 24/7 UK-based technical support desk. Other initiatives launched by the UK arm of the German press manufacturer include a user group for Roland 200...

Johnston's Irish titles for sale.
March 6, 2009... Newspaper publisher Johnston Press has said it expects its Irish business to make profits of EUR12m (pounds 10.7m) in 2009, despite the current economic difficulties. The Scotland-headquartered company is attempting to offload its 13 Irish...

Thompson looks to sue ex-RBS chief Goodwin.
March 6, 2009... George Thompson, joint managing director of print recruitment business Harrison Scott, has said he will sue former Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin for his share of the public money used to save the bank. Thompson,...

AMC buys new Truepress Jet.(Atlas Media Communications )(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... UK newspaper publishers will soon be able to print newspapers in the Middle East after Dubai-based Atlas Media Communications (AMC) invested in a Screen Truepress Jet520. The EUR2m (pounds 1.8m) investment was made as part of a contract...

Reader Reaction: Is a wage increase reasonable in the current climate?
March 6, 2009... After the BPIF opposed Unite's wage demands, we ask for your views on pay rises in the sector. - Envelope printer and manufacturer - Mark Farrimond, managing director, The Envelope Works 'This type of blanket annual pay review that is...

Unite blames contract loss for redundancies.
March 6, 2009... Unite has called the proposed jobs cuts at Cambridge University Press an 'irredeemable stain' on the university's 800th anniversary as consultation continued at the historic printer. The union, which has vowed to fight the 150-plus planned...

Office2office reports turnover rise.(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... Stationery group Office2office (O2O) has revealed growth in both turnover and pretax profit in its preliminary results for 2008. The group, which acquired print manager AccessPlus in a pounds 26m deal in May 2008, posted a 7.8% rise in...

Gomer boosts output with XL 105.
March 6, 2009... Gomer Press is anticipating a 33% boost in productivity after investing in a four-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 press. The Llandysul, Wales-based printer and publisher has moved away from perfecting with the press, which replaces a...

Legal Notices.(Public notice)
March 6, 2009... Appointment of Liquidators APD Colour Print & Design Ltd Co.No: 04763172 Liqr: Philip John Gorman, Hazlewoods, Windsor House, Barnett Way, Barnwood, Gloucester GL4 3RT 13 February 2009 Biddles Ltd Co.No: 00158041 Liqrs: Andrew...

VIM Technologies enters inkjet CTP market with JT Direct Plate.
March 6, 2009... Processless plate specialist VIM Technologies is set to become the latest entrant to the inkjet-based CTP market following the commercial launch of its JT Direct Inkjet Plate next month. Israel-based VIM, which demonstrated the plate in...

St Ives to do DAL offset testing.(Digital Ad Lab)(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... February's Digital Ad Lab (DAL) meeting at Publishing Expo gave members an update on the late-binding colour initiative, as well as information about the importance of job tickets. Andy Psarianos, director of FE Burman, briefed members on...

Enfocus joins with Alwan Color to launch PDF Standardizer software.
March 6, 2009... Colour standardisation software specialist Alwan Color Expertise and PDF software specialist Enfocus have announced the commercial release of PDF Standardizer. The joint product venture, which was unveiled last year (PrintWeek, 7...

Wyke's chemistry use falls with new plates.(Wyke Printers )(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... Wyke Printers has reported a 30% drop in its chemistry spend since it installed a Fujifilm FLH-Z 125 processor and switched to Fuji's Brillia HD LH-PJE plates. Peter Hancock, plateroom manager at the Hull-based printer, said: 'Since we...

Danscot buys Canon C1+ in bid to expand finishing services.(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... Danscot Print has said it intends to diversify its digital print offering in order to 'gain a competitive edge' after investing in a Canon imagePress C1+. Danscot, which is the digital print arm of office supplies group UKOffice4less, said...

CPI signs up for on-demand site.
March 6, 2009... CPI UK has become the first printer to integrate with Completelynovel.com, a new web-based platform that allows authors to publish and print their books online. The site also connects publishers with readers and writers. Random House Group...

Xaar adds to Platform 1 printhead offering.
March 6, 2009... Xaar has introduced two new printheads, the Electron and the Proton, designed for wide- and grand-format printers. The Cambridge-based inkjet specialist said the new Platform 1 additions, which increase its number of printhead models to...

Parkers ups sales after DocuColor buy increases short-run work.
March 6, 2009... Parkers Digital Press has entered the short-run book printing market and boosted sales by around 25% after investing in a Xerox DocuColor 5000AP digital printer. The Canterbury-based digital printer has also broken into variable data...

Swanline buys semi-automatic die-cutter to reduce bottleneck.(Swanline Print invested in die cutters)(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... Large-format trade printer Swanline Print has invested in one of the world's largest die-cutters. A SOL 2517 large-format flatbed semi-automatic die-cutter from South Korean converting specialist NURI BM Tech will be installed at the...

D&K announces Northprint kit.(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... Finishing equipment manufacturer D&K has unveiled the array of machines that it intends to take to this year's Northprint event in Harrogate. The Comet encapsulator is D&K's latest machine and has been designed specifically for trade...

Indian Cosmo Films to buy US rival GBC Commercial Print Finishing.
March 6, 2009... Indian manufacturer Cosmo Films has signed an agreement to buy US rival GBC Commercial Print Finishing. The deal for the ACCO Brands Corporation-owned company is expected to complete by the second quarter of 2009. Cosmo's products are...

Hull University invests in Schneider guillotine.
March 6, 2009... Hull University's print team has said that will cut costs on paper after investing in a new guillotine from finishing equipment distributor Friedheim International. The university has replaced an aging Ideal guillotine with a new Schneider...

Merchants told credit insurers can protect against bad debt.
March 6, 2009... Paper merchants have been warned that they must work with credit insurers and keep lines of communication open in order to protect against bad debt during the recession. Aon Trade Credit, the credit insurance broker, said that credit...

UPM launches digital grade.
March 6, 2009... UPM has unveiled a new paper designed for high-speed digital inkjet printing, which it claims offers fast ink absorption and low bleeding. UPM Digi is designed for use in digital machines such as the Kodak Versamark, IBM InfoPrint 5000, Oce...

Favini relaunches Shiro range with eco focus.
March 6, 2009... Independent specialist paper manufacturer Favini has relaunched its Shiro range, which includes Alga Carta, Echo and Tree Free, in a bid to boost the brand's environmental credentials. Shiro Alga Carta is made with algae from a Venice...

Antalis Packaging wins DC Thomson contract and says more will follow.(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... Antalis Packaging has won a two-year contract to supply newspaper and magazine printing group DC Thomson's UK sites. The contract could be the first of many, as Antalis revealed that it expected to announce another five similar-sized deals...

Insurance: Ensuring all your key bases are covered.
March 6, 2009... PrintWeek has used its knowledge of the sector to offer its readers a bespoke insurance package. Printers are exposed to a range of risks that require specific insurance and, as a result, the needs of the sector are far more complex than...

Editorial: Use the downturn to plan for the upturn.(Editorial)
March 6, 2009... Business planning in the current economic environment is akin to painting the Forth Railway Bridge - the moment you get it done you have to start all over again. The days of dusting off your business plan once a year to keep the bank...

Comment: Clever brands employ clever print.
March 6, 2009... A time to stand out Savvy brands are achieving real stand-out with print at the moment. Examples include a perky sub-A5 format 8pp insert from Honda, printed on uncoated stock and featuring clever lift-up flaps and the prospect of winning...

Comment: Technically speaking.
March 6, 2009... Tightening purse strings will turn many businesses on to Open Source Software. In January, Adobe announced 600 redundancies, citing weaker-than- expected demand for its Creative Suite 4. While it may be that the credit crunch has stopped...

Analysis: Profile - Augustus MArtin.
March 6, 2009... Innovation is key to success at Augustus Martin as it shrugs off recession blues. Sales director Daniel Pattison tells Tom Hall how multiple services and awareness to change bring success. The large-format presses at south east...

Analysis: Pre-pack Liquidation - The pre-pack route takes a new turn.
March 6, 2009... Businesses are starting to use liquidation to escape the tag of 'phoenix', finds Adam Hooker. Business failures are an unfortunate certainty in the current economic climate and with pre-packs on the rise, there is growing unease about...

Better Business: Finance - Plan to survive financial difficulties.
March 6, 2009... Taking the time to draw up a business plan is one thing, but it's revisiting it frequently - and making revisions where necessary - that will help a business through difficult times, says Simon Creasey. Historically, for a lot of...

Technology Report: Non-PVC Media - Print gets some new material.
March 6, 2009... The use of PVC is under threat due to its poor environmental credentials, Barney Cox looks at the alternatives on the market. Paper's environmental credentials are central to the sustainability of commercial print jobs, but what about...

Product Portfolio: Product of the week - FFEI RealVue 3D.(Product/service evaluation)
March 6, 2009... FFEI's 3D proofing software allows designers and printers to test a variety of material and finishing options before printing, finds Philip Chadwick. RealVue3D is one of the first major product launches from FFEI since its management...

Product Portfolio: Me & My ... Presstek Vector FL52.(Print Team)(Interview)
March 6, 2009... Damian Smith, managing director of Print Team, has been impressed with this low-cost, chemistry-free platesetter's high quality and speed. - What is it? The Vector FL52 is the new version of Presstek's small-format, chemistry-free...

Product Portfolio: Tried & Tested - Muller Martini Presto.(Product/service evaluation)
March 6, 2009... A more automated machine than its predeccessor, the Presto holds its value in the global secondhand market, says Nosmot Gbadamosi. Muller Martini is no newcomer to designing highly automated kit, more than 50 years ago it launched its...

Product Portfolio: Buyers' Guide - Magazine papers.(Product/service evaluation)
March 6, 2009... Magazine paper demand is down as publishers cut costs through opting for lower grades of paper and smaller paginations, finds Nosmot Gbadamosi. While there are many sectors fearing a downturn in business in the present economic climate,...

Product Portfolio: Tom's Help Line - Scented coatings and DIY CD packs.(Product/service evaluation)
March 6, 2009... Tom Hall tracks down the solutions to your technical troubles. Q: Can anyone tell me what sort of overprint varnishes would be suitable for encapsulating a fragrance in? Helen Chappell, via email A: For the uninitiated, scented...

Product Portfolio: Diary.(Brief article)(Calendar)
March 6, 2009... MARCH The Stationers' and Newspaper Makers' Company annual lecture Date: 16 March Venue: Stationers' Hall Price: pounds 25, pounds 66 with dinner More information: www.stationers.org APRIL The London Bookfair Date: 20-22 April...

Product Portfolio: Technical Tutorial - Emulsification.(Product/service evaluation)
March 6, 2009... Ink-water balance is intrinsic to the litho process and where the two meet there is always a degree of mixing or emulsification. However, an imbalance, or a surplus or excess of dampening solution in the ink train, can result in problem...

Post Script: A multi-channel effort to revive book market.
March 6, 2009... Is this six-foot-four man with the trustworthy, all-American smile, book printing's new knight in shining armour? His can-do demeanour certainly inspires confidence, but is there a future for Patrick Carman's multi-channel story telling? ...

Post Script: Memory Lane.
March 6, 2009... One Year Ago: Bauer Consumer Media was on the verge of launching a major print tender... 3M confirmed interest in the government's ID card scheme... FSC cast doubts over any partnership with PEFC, citing working practice differences... ...

Post Script: Print's Past.
March 6, 2009... Pears Soap You don't see Pears Soap much these days, but for two centuries A&F Pears enjoyed an international reputation and commercial success, largely due to the efforts of Thomas J Barrett: a man often referred to as the father of...

Post Script: Q&A - Sebastian O'Driscoll.(marketing coordinator )(Interview)(Brief article)
March 6, 2009... Sebastian O'Driscoll is marketing coordinator for Vio Worldwide. He is 25 years old, from Ireland, but moved to London last year. This is his first job in the industry and he is currently designing a video game with his mates. Post...

Training gets boost as National Skills Academy gets go-ahead.
March 13, 2009... Proskills' long-awaited National Skills Academy (NSA) was finally given the green light last week. National Skills Academies are industry specific employer-led training schemes. They are a core part of the government's plan for improving...

Dsicmm handed pounds 25m bank finance package.
March 13, 2009... Dsicmm has secured a pounds 25m funding package as it consolidates its operations following its aggressive acquisition trail and last year's site move. The finance package, which consists of a pounds 6m loan and pounds 19m of invoice...

Buyer sought for B&P Lightbrigade.
March 13, 2009... Vantis Business Recovery is hunting for a buyer for B&P Lightbrigade after the Surrey-based digital printer and supplier went into administration on 2 March following a drop in trade. The group underwent a management buyout last summer led...

Lateral and Tangent are 'perfect fit'.(Tangent Communications )(Brief article)
March 13, 2009... Tangent Communications chief executive Nicholas Green has said the company has made further inroads into 'investing in a digital future' after acquiring London-based digital marketing agency Lateral. The deal is part of a move by Tangent...

Mail and Print Services win two-year, pounds 500,000 contract.
March 13, 2009... Mail and Print Services (MPS), the Bristol-based direct mail house, has won a two-year, pounds 500,000 contract to produce a direct mail campaign for children's nutrition company Dumex. The contract is focused on Asia and Australia and MPS will...

Kolorcraft boosts commitment to ethical sourcing.(Brief article)
March 13, 2009... Kolorcraft has boosted its commitment to ethical sourcing after becoming ISO 14001, FSC and PEFC accredited. The West Yorkshire-based company claimed the move to get the accreditations had also prompted clients to consider their environmental...

European 'Pole Position' road shows.
March 13, 2009... Kodak is to demonstrate how print companies can grow their business through its products at its upcoming European 'Pole Position' road shows. The road shows will begin in Glasgow on 23 March, then stop at Leeds on 25 March, Manchester on 26...

Zechini launches latest machine for production of hardcover books.
March 13, 2009... Zechini has launched its latest machine for the production of hardcover books. The X-Book is a hybrid, comprising elements of the Roby Junior case-maker, the X-Case casing-in machine, the Special 85 book press and Cimatic joint forming device....

Unite backs calls for higher statutory redundancy pay.(Brief article)
March 13, 2009... Unite has backed calls for higher statutory redundancy pay as it warned that the gap between redundancy remuneration and real earnings is growing. A Bill is currently being drawn up by Lindsay Hoyle MP pushing to change the 'outdated' method of...

Founder of Yale Press dies, aged 64.
March 13, 2009... John Read, founder of Yale Press, passed away on 4 March 2009 aged 64 after a short illness. He began his career as an apprentice compositor with south London printer Wightmans following his father into the trade. In 1971, he was the joint...

Burlington and Carlton Group are latest victims of recession.
March 13, 2009... Two more of the industry's larger SMEs have fallen victim to the recession as fears grow over unsustainable pricing and declining demand across the sector. Last Friday, Cambridge-based commercial printer Burlington Press was placed into...

Overpaid VAT to be written off.
March 13, 2009... Printers, publishers and manufacturers have just three weeks left in which to claim overpaid VAT for the period prior to 1 May 1997, following January's landmark House of Lords ruling in favour of Conde Nast. The magazine publisher...

Kelvin assets sold to Port of Call as jobs of all employees are secured.
March 13, 2009... Failed Manchester printer Kelvin Graphics, which operates as Kelvin Print Group, has been sold by the liquidator to Port of Call for an undisclosed sum. The assets of the company were sold to Graham Burns along with three other London...

Metro sets out plan to increase circulation following recession.(Daily Mail and General Trust)
March 13, 2009... DMGT has said it is planning to increase the circulation of the Metro newspaper as soon as the recession ends. The announcement came as the group drew up contingency plans for distribution outside its London Underground contract. ...

Bauer suspends Arena magazine.
March 13, 2009... Men's glossy Arena has become the latest casualty in the struggling magazine market following publisher Bauer Consumer Media's decision to suspend the monthly title. The 22-year-old title had an average net circulation of 29,374 copies per...

Former editor of The Express says 'huge failure' awaits newspapers.
March 13, 2009... A former editor of the Daily Express has said that local newspapers will never recover from the current economic slump. Richard Addis, who was editor of the national newspaper for three years in the 1990s, believes that regional newspapers...

Lovely Bubbly.
March 13, 2009... Stroma and digital press manufacturer Oce celebrate the five millionth digitally printed newspaper at Stroma's west London facility Stroma managing director Steve Brown said: 'Here, in London, there's more experience at producing digital...

Murphy boosts KBA sales team.
March 13, 2009... Press manufacturer KBA has brought in former Mitsubishi UK sales director Phil Murphy as its new area sales manager for London, the Home Counties and the east of England. Murphy brings with him more than 40 years of experience in print,...

Demand for sales staff bolstered by recession.
March 13, 2009... Demand for print sales executives and account managers has dramatically increased during the recession, while technical positions have experienced a severe dip, recruitment experts have reported. George Thompson, joint managing director of...

Ex-Incisive boss joins Polestar.(chief executive Tim Weller and Peter Palframan joins Polestar)(Brief article)
March 13, 2009... Polestar has made two high-profile appointments to its board as it gears up to 'accelerate its growth' and take advantage of the 'difficult market conditions'. Incisive Media founder and group chief executive Tim Weller and former CPI UK...

Reader reaction: Would the Royal Mail benefit from being partly privatised?
March 13, 2009... After a plan to privatise 30% of the Royal Mail was published, we ask if service would improve. - Print finisher Andy Fox, managing director, The Finishing Company 'As an ex-Royal Mail employee I think it can only be a good thing....

Beacon Press expands reach with new office.
March 13, 2009... Beacon Press has increased its presence in the Scottish market with the opening of a sales office in Edinburgh. The company, which is part of the Pureprint Group, is aiming to boost its profile in the area with the new office, in order to...

Johnson set to enlarge PCC remit.(Printers Charitable Corp appoints Michael Johnson as new president )(Brief article)
March 13, 2009... BPIF chief executive Michael Johnson has become the new president of the Printers' Charitable Corporation (PCC) for 2009 and put increasing the number of beneficiaries at the top of his agenda. Johnson has set his sights on doubling the...